Inter Miami’s season may be over but the excitement around the club is set to increase in the coming weeks as one of football’s biggest tournaments starts to take shape in Miami.
The FIFA Club World Cup is back bigger and better than ever in 2025 and it will all kick-off when the draw is made in Miami on December 5th.
This will be the first time that the competition has taken place in the United States, and it will see some games played in the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Sadly, the Chase Stadium where Inter Miami play their games was not selected as a host stadium.
Ahead of the draw there is one thing we know for certain and that is Inter Miami will play in the opening game of the Club World Cup in their hometown at the Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday 15th June 2025.
Jordi Alba explained how the Club World Cup will benefit Inter Miami with qualification testament to what David Beckham has achieved at the club. The full-back sees the tournament as an opportunity for the Herons to measure themselves against the best clubs in the world.
How did Inter Miami qualify for FIFA Club World Cup?
The Herons qualified for their first-ever Club World Cup after being handed the host nation slot for winning the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield.
The club stormed to success in the MLS regular season winning the Supporters’ Shield with two games remaining, they also went on to break the MLS regular season points record (74).
FIFA’s decision to hand Inter Miami the Club World Cup slot did not go down well with many fans and journalists across the MLS. This is because the MLS uses the end-of-season playoffs to determine its champion and does not award it for winning the Supporters’ Shield.
The decision has been brought further into question following their early end-of-season play-off defeat to Atlanta United.
CBS Sports journalist Ian Paul Joy tweeted out after Inter Miami’s play-off defeat to Atlanta: “This result makes the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup selection a complete embarrassment. Nobody cares about Supporters shield!”
There has been support for the Herons though, with Alexi Lalas believing Inter Miami’s Club World Cup qualification is not a bad thing.
The former US international said: “I don’t think anybody is looking at Inter Miami representing, not just Inter Miami, but representing MLS and representing the US in this tournament that’s coming next summer as a bad thing.”
Who could Inter Miami face in the Club World Cup?
FIFA have gone all out with their new and improved feel to the Club World Cup tournament this year by increasing the number of teams participating from 7 to 32.
The inaugural version of the new format includes some of the biggest footballing names from across the globe.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City (ENG) | Chelsea FC (ENG) | Al Hilal (SAU) | Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN) |
| Real Madrid (ESP) | Bor. Dortmund (GER) | Ulsan HD (KOR) | Al Ain (VAE) |
| FC Bayern (GER) | Inter Mailand (ITA) | Al Ahly (EGY) | Esperance de Tunis (TUN) |
| PSG (FRA) | FC Porto (POR) | Wydad AC (MRC) | Mamelodi Sundowns (RSA) |
| Flamengo (BRA) | Atletico Madrid (ESP) | CF Monterrey (MEX) | CF Pachuca (MEX) |
| Palmeiras (BRA) | SL Benfica (POR) | Club Leon (MEX) | Seattle Sounders (USA) |
| River Plate (ARG) | Juventus (ITA) | Boca Juniors (ARG) | Auckland City FC (NZL) |
| Fluminense (BRA) | FC Salzburg (AT) | Botafogo (BRA) | Inter Miami CF (USA) |
Javier Mascherano’s side could face up against some of Europe’s powerhouses including likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Lionel Messi’s former side Paris Saint-Germain.
The U.S. is not only represented by Inter Miami but also the Seattle Sounders who won the 2022 Concacaf Champions Cup.
The tournament will consist of eight groups of four teams. The top two teams from each group will progress to the round of 16 where teams will compete in a knockout format until just two teams are left.
David Beckham and Inter Miami will be hoping that they can put on a show to silence those who have been questioning their participation.